The Son Of Voldemort
by DarkAngelOfTruth
Summary: Hecate decides she wants Nico to help end Voldemort, thrusting him into the wizarding world. Which would be fine, if he wasn't thrown into a tangled web of lies and deceit to hide his identity. Kids, meet Nico di Angelo,supposed Son Of Voldemort.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Nico di Angelo is a very_ different_ child. Although you really can't call him a child anymore- he is 17 years old, after all. He has very few friends, and many hate or fear him. He supposes that's what you get for being a Son of Hades. The Fates don't seem to like him very much, as he considers himself to be the unluckiest of all demigods. Who else has been stuck in a time warp for 60 years, lost all their family (save for a dad who doesn't want him), and gains incredible powers he sometimes can't control?

No one. That's who.

When he was thirteen years old, he noticed that the shadows seemed to shift when he was angry. One day, the Ares campers decided to come pick on him. It was the usual;_ "Why don't you go hang with you're dead buddies in the Underworld, huh, Zombie Boy? Oh, that's right, your dad doesn't want you. Ha! You're weak! Useless!_" He had long since gotten used to the teasing, but when one fool brought up the subject of his sister, he lost it. And the shadows _actually lashed out_, smashing the Ares kids against the wall, and slashing repeatedly at their skin. Nico looked on with something close to wonder as the jerks ran off screaming, _"Monster! He's a monster!"_ leaving him leaning against the wall of his cabin pondering, _"Am I a monster?"_

You could certainly say that.

At age fourteen, he accidentally raised an army of shadows- horrible, misshapen creatures- that charged at the Lydian drakon threatening his so-called friends, and pulled the beast, thrashing wildly, eyes livid, under the earth, never to be seen again. He tried to explain to his horrified friends that it was an accident- a mistake, a slip, not on purpose, that he'd never do that to them, but they fled, never looking back once. at the one who had saved their lives._ "Freak!"_ They screamed. _"You- you monster! You're worse than that drakon! You're just like all those other things that you raised!"_

So that was that. He was officially Nico, the Demon Child, Nico the Shadow-Raiser.

He became stronger and fiercer as he grew, until he could best Percy in a sword-fight and Annabeth, too. They were the best the camp had to offer. When he was fifteen, he challenged Thalia, Lieutenant of Artemis herself. _"Hey,Thals!" He grinned. "You wanna fight me?" Thalia wrinkled her nose, pushing the sword he pointed at her aside with two fingers. Then she declared loudly for the entire camp to hear, "I shall not fight a senior."_ At which most of the camp began snickering, and Nico's face went red at the comment on his biological age.

But then he saw the fear in her eyes, the uncertainty, and knew that she was afraid of him, afraid that she would lose to a _boy_ and so be shunned from the Hunters of Artemis. So, he decided to let it slide.

And he really didn't know _when_ it started, but he found himself immensely enjoying toying with people's minds. He trained himself to be an excellent liar and actor, and if he wanted you to believe something, you would believe it, that much is certain.

And so he became more and more closed off to the world, focusing completely on taming the beast within him. In other words, he became more and more powerful each day.

So that's why when he ended up in some crazy old coot's office when he was trying to get to Percy's house for his birthday party, he knew someone was tampering with his shadow travel. And not just any person, either. It would have to be one of the gods.

_Nico stepped out onto the streets of Los Angeles. Taking a quick look around to make sure no one was there, he stepped into the shadows of a dark alleyway, closing his eyes and allowing himself to become one with the shadows. He concentrated on his destination, willing himself there. He opened his eyes and smiled- he could already see the faint outline of his cousin's apartment, and then-_

_Violet and green eyes, and skin white as snow. "Whaat-"_

_He was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea, and he felt dizzy. Lightheaded._

_And when he stepped out of the shadows, he took one look around at the round office with many strange looking instruments, and stated;_

_"This is definitely not Percy's place."_

_The said old coot in blue robes stood up and said, "No, it isn't." in a very pleasant manner._

_"Then where..."_

_"Why, you're in my office. In England." The crazy old man said with a twinkle in his eye._

_Whaat? England? Nico tried to process what he was hearing, but doing so gave him a major headache.  
><em>

_Then Nico promptly threw up all over the Persian rug._

_"Hmm." the wacko in blue robes seemed to say something else afterwards, but Nico didn't hear it. Nico didn't hear anything because Nico had passed out._

* * *

><p>AN: GeorgianDevil brought it to my attention that the prologue really wasn't detailed at all. Although, GeorgianDevil, I will probably never live up to your expectations. So please don't try to help me be a better writer- _I wasn't meant to be an excellent author_.I am reaaaally bad at details, which is probably why my Language Arts grades usually aren't so high. So, I redid the prologue. _Please review!_

~DarkAngel_  
><em>


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Nico dreamed of red curls, skin pale as the moon, and vivid green and violet eyes.

"_Hecate." _He whispered.

She laughed. "Correct, darling! Now, I suppose you're wondering about why you're here, hmm?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

She sighed. "Well, you see, I had an… affair with a mortal, a long time back, and there were some complications, resulting in an entire new world of magic!"

"Magic." He repeated dully.

"Yes, witches and wizards and such. And _one_ wizard with a very ridiculous name-what was he thinking, renaming himself Voldemort I'll never know, such an incredibly stupi-"

"Witches and wizards. And one wizard with a very ridiculous name?"

"Oh, yes, if I remember correctly, he's the one causing all the extra paperwork down in the Underworld. He's being very troublesome up on the surface too, you know."

"You mean Tom? Tom Riddle?"

"Yes, yes." She said, waving it off. "Now, what I want you to do is help the Potter boy end Voldemort."

"Err…you want me to help a pottery maker kill Tom Riddle?"

"No!" Hecate put her hand to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose. She sighed. "I want you to help Harry Potter, the Chosen One, end Voldemort. Do you understand?" she spoke slowly and deliberately, as if thinking he was an idiot.

"If Harry Potter is the Chosen One, why would he need my help? And why would you send me to finish Tom instead of one of your own children?"

Hecate grit her teeth and rolled her eyes. "Are you always so foolish? The seers in the wizarding world are somewhat…unreliable. Inaccurate. And I think if you helped kill Voldemort, your father would appreciate it more, no?"

He looked at her suspiciously. "It's not like you to just randomly do a favor, Lady Hecate. What're you up to? And really, do you expect me to believe all this Minotaur sh*t about _magic_?"

She looked at him innocently. "Am I not allowed to do favors?" As Nico opened his mouth to speak, she pointed at him, saying, "Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question. And moreover, why must you be so annoying? Really! It's as if you're twelve! "

He looked at her lividly.

"Although I do suppose it might be a side effect from the time you spent in the Lotus Casino," Hecate noted thoughtfully. "Hmm, I must look into that subject more…"

"Erm, magic?" Nico prompted.

Her head snapped back to Nico. "Ah, yes. If Greek mythology is real, why can't magic be real, hmm?"

Nico seemed to think for a few moments before speaking.

"Alright then," he said, straightening up a bit. "I'm going to find Harry Potter and help him finish Tom once and for all." Then confusion washed over his face. "Umm, where do I find Harry exactly?"

Hecate sighed. "Honestly, you're hopeless." She chided. " You will find him in Hogwarts, the finest School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He's in seventh year. And, I've already sent you to the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore's office! Though I suppose you're in the hospital wing by now."

_So Albus is the name of that old man in blue robes_. Nico thought, before turning his attention back to the slim goddess before him.

She looked around as if waiting for something , before turning to him. "Now, it's up to you to lie your way in to attending Hogwarts." She whispered excitedly. "And if I'm correct-" he could hear the glee in her voice. "Then you'll be waking up any moment now!"

Nothing happened.

"Um, excuse me?"

The dark-haired goddess looked very peeved. "I'm not Athena, you know," she said irritatedly. "It might take a minute or so. Oh, and try not to flaunt your powers too much. And if you do, come up with a suitable alias or something."

"Yeah. Okay."

Hecate smiled. "Goo-"

* * *

><p>"-ood, you're awake." Someone huffed. Nico blinked a few times.<p>

_White,_ he thought. _Too much white._

He pulled himself into sitting position and rubbed his eyes before looking down at himself. He scowled at the white pajamas he was wearing. _Why in Hades does it have to be white?_

He looked back up to see a plump old woman fussing around with some flasks of what he assumed was medicine.

"I'll go get the Headmaster-"

"No, Poppy, that'll be unnecessary," a voice rang out across the room.

"Headmaster!" Poppy seemed quite flustered, but regained control very quickly. "Well, then, I'll be in the back room if you need me," she said stiffly, before bowing and retreating from the room. "I'll leave you to deal with this boy, then." She called over her shoulder.

Nico scowled at her. "Stupid nurse," he grumbled.

"Oh, no," the headmaster said from behind him. "Poppy is actually quite intellectual when it comes to healing." Dumbledore sat down beside him.

"And if I may ask," he continued, "How did you apparate here? The school has magical boundaries."

Nico grinned mentally. Time to start lying…

"Umm, where am I? All I remember is trying to get to my cousin's house, but I ended up here somehow…" he said, feigning innocence.

"Ah. A apparation mistake, no doubt." The old man's brow furrowed. "But that doesn't explain how you managed to get in."

"Um…" Nico replaced his expression with a guilty one, fiddling with the bedsheets and glancing from side to side. "I have powers. Really -hard- to- control powers. And sometimes they hurt people too… Don't tell anyone, okay? I don't want to be sent to the aslyum…" he trailed off.

"Hmm." Understanding seemed to dawn upon the elder's face. "Now, where are you from, exactly?"

"The United States."

"America?" the surprise was evident in the Headmaster's voice.

"Yes."

"Now, if I may ask, ahh-"

"Nico. Nico di Angelo."

"Yes, Nico, now if I may ask, have you ever attended a school of sorts to help you control your abilities?"

Nico furrowed his brow. "No. I attended a school for different kids once, but I didn't fit in there and I didn't stay long." _It's a camp, actually…_ he thought to himself.

"So, Nico. What would you say if I told you wizards and witches were real?"

The raven-haired boy stared at him in (fake) disbelief. "You're crazy, old man!"

Dumbledore began to explain patiently, showing him a few magic tricks, and Nico nodded along, evidently being won over.

"Alright then. If everything you say is true, then I want to attend Hogwarts. This school. I want to…" he swallowed. "I want to be able to control my powers. I want to _learn_."

And to his surprise, in that part of the conversation he was entirely truthful.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore smiled. "Here is the list of supplies you will need-" he conjured a scroll out of thin air "-and I shall explain at the opening feast how you are a new student who shall be attending seventh year. You shall be sorted with the rest of the first years, and is there anything else you would like to tell me?"

Nico tugged at his_ white_ pajamas uncomfortably. "I can speak to shadows. And control them. And I can raise the dead. Is that normal? For wizards, I mean?"

The old man seemed to be at loss for words. He swallowed. "Those are certainly _different_ powers…" he said cautiously.

Nico's face fell.

"But nothing our school can't handle, I'm certain." Dumbledore said reassuringly.

Nico brightened automatically. "That's great!"

And it was great. He had just lied his way into attending Hogwarts.

Then Poppy rushed back into the room, driving Dumbledore out insisting that "This young man needs rest!" , leaving the headmaster to ponder, upon his exit, what- or rather, who- Nico reminded him of. His face paled visibly when he came to an answer.

"_Tom."_ He said shakily, before shaking his head and walking off.

* * *

><p>AN: Like it? Hate it? REVIEW PLEASE!

_I know I'm a horrible author. Don't waste your time ranting on my lack of writing ability._

Oh yeah, I redid the prologue. Please reread it if you haven't already._  
><em>

If you have any suggestions, feel free to PM me. Also, I won't be able to post the next chapter until I get more results- should I sort Nico into Gryffindor or Slytherin? The poll is in my profile. If you are an anonymous user, please leave a review.

~DarkAngel


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright, so…

GRYFFINDOR WINS!

Nico di Angelo shall be placed in Gryffindor, and btw, I will be updating every Tuesday, unless I am;

Sick

dead

banned, or

have a lot, lot, _lot_ of homework.

Why Tuesday? Because my schedule is very complicated. And I realized I forgot to do the disclaimer. So, here goes: I am not a man.

I am not British either.

I don't own Nico._ (Or Harry.)_

Now that that (failed) Apollo moment is over, on with the story!

* * *

><p>Nico di Angelo was pleased. He had been afraid, yes, afraid, that he might have gone a bit overboard with his acting, but the crazy old man fell for it anyways. Although (what was his name, Dumblladore? No, Dumbledore) Dumbledore had seemed awfully distracted. Just like Nico was now.<p>

"Oi, pay attention, will ya?" a voice rumbled from above him. Nico scowled.

The resident half-giant of the school Nico would have to attend was apparently showing Nico around Diagon Alley, where he was supposed to get his supplies. They had already been to Gringotts, where Nico had shoveled two huge handfuls of diamonds and rubies on the desk of the goblin before him, saying, "What are you staring at? I have a lot of stuff, okay? Now hurry up and exchange it into wizard money already! I don't have all day!" at the goblin's slightly stunned expression.

They had already gone to get his robes, where Madam Malkin was being very annoying (to him, at least) bustling around and talking too much.

Now, they were supposed to go to Flourish and Blott's book store or something, but his ADHD was acting up, and he was finding it difficult to remember just where exactly he put his school supply list.

Which, by the way, wasn't making Hagrid very happy.

"Stop looking at me like that, it's not my fault I'm ADHD…" Nico grumbled while fumbling through the pockets of his worn-out aviator jacket. "Ah-ha!" Nico whipped out a roll of parchment. "Found it!"

Apparently, Hecate had blessed him with dyslexia-removal, so he was able to tell that this scroll was the correct one. He unfurled it and scanned the parchment.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

_of _WITCHCRAFT _and _WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

You will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragonhide or similar)

Nico wondered if drakonhide (he got some from the drakon he slew a while ago and had a Hephaestus camper make a pair of gloves for him) counted as _similar_. He decided it probably did and continued reading.

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

Nico was very glad that all the clothes were black.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 7)_

By Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_

By Bathilda Bagshot

At this point, Nico couldn't help but start snorting at the ridiculous names, which annoyed Hagrid even further. In fact, it irritated him to the point that the groundskeeper just went in various stores buying Nico's supplies for him, leaving Nico to wait, still laughing, for him to get back.

"Well, here's all your stuff," Hagrid grumbled, dumping a load of books and various other things on the ground next to the pale boy. "Now, we jus' need ter go to Ollivander's…"

"Oi! Hagrid!"

Nico turned around to see three kids, a bushy-haired girl, a redheaded boy, and another boy with glasses pushing through the crowd, wide smiles on their faces. He frowned. The dark-haired boy with the glasses practically reeked of death, and when Nico looked straight at him, he could see that he had two souls merged together, instead of one.

Nico narrowed his eyes._ That can't be right…_

"Hey, Hagrid!" the redhead panted. "What're you doing in Diagon Alley? You're not buying a giant spider or something, right?" he asked anxiously.

"Of course he's not, Ron!" The girl berated him. She had the general air of a know-it-all, greatly reminding him of Annabeth.

"Well, then what's he doing here, hmm, Hermione?" the redhead (Ron, Nico was guessing,) shot back.

Hagrid chuckled. "It's nothin', yer see, jus' helpin' the exchange student get his supplies…"

"Exchange student?" the bespectacled boy peered at him cautiously. "I didn't know Hogwarts accepted exchange students. Where's he from? What's his name?"

"Oh, this is Mister Nico di Angelo, he's an American." Hagrid said in a cheerfully.

Nico scowled at Harry. "Stop staring at me!" he grumbled. "Or else I'll have to kill you."

Ron stepped forward, gasping. "Don't you know who he is? You're threating to kill _him_!"

"No. Why would I know him? I've never met him before. Am I supposed to know him?" Nico asked in a very annoying way.

Ron continued to gape at him, spluttering "He…he doesn't…" in a disbelieving tone.

Ron proceeded to turn very red, which clashed horribly with his many freckles and red hair.

"THIS IS HARRY POTTER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT! THE BOY WHO LIVED! THE CHOSEN ONE!" he shouted.

"Okaaay…. Now who's Harry Potter?"

"That would be me." Harry said.

"So what's so important about you? The Boy Who Lived? Really? It's not like everyone around you is dead. And what type of name is the chosen one? I got chosen for stuff, too." Nico said very obnoxiously.

"Erm, it's nothing, really."

"Nothing? Really?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then."

…

"Do you know what house you're going to be in?" Hermione piped up.

"No, he'll be sorted with the other firs' years," Hagrid said gruffly. "Now, we have ter pick up a wand fer him- 'pparently his wand is encased in his sword." Nico grimaced at the thought of the crude lie he made up to explain why his sword could blast people. (Long story-don't ask.)

"Oh, like your umbrella?" Ron, apparently, had recovered from the initial shock of finding out Nico didn't know Harry Potter. Probably blaming it on the fact he was from America.

"Shhh!" Hagrid looked around nervously. "Could ya' keep quiet 'bout that?"

"Sorry, Hagrid," Ron apologized profusely.

"We need to get our supplies too… So, we'll see you at school, then?" Hermione asked expectantly, turning towards Nico.

He blinked, surprised that she would talk to him. "Oh, um, yeah, I guess."

Then they went their separate ways.

And it wasn't until they were long gone did Nico remember the boy Hecate talked about was Harry Potter. The boy he just ran into.

_Oh well,_ he thought. _I'll see him at Hogwarts soon enough anyways._

* * *

><p>Nico decided he didn't like Ollivander's. At all.<p>

It was a really small shop, the golden letters were peeling off so Nico couldn't see anything other than what looked like the words Ollivander and wands, and in the dusty window, a single wand sat on a faded purple cushion.

Nope. Nico did not like this shop at all, partially due to the fact it gave him the creeps and he was embarrassed about it. Hagrid refrained from entering the shop, so Nico entered alone.

Inside, there was only one chair, which looked like it had been broken and (very) hastily repaired. Lined against the wall were hundreds and thousands of thin boxes- probably wands, he was guessing.

"Aah. Hello, young man. You're a bit… old, to be getting your first wand now, aren't you?"

Shivers ran up Nico's spine, and he turned around to see a short man with rather large eyes of a pale silver color.

"Um, yeah, I guess…"

Ollivander (well, Nico was guessing he was Ollivander) laughed. It was a hollow one, one without any humor at all, and it sounded weak.

Nico wasn't sure what to do, so he just stood there awkwardly.

"Yes, yes… Dumbledore told me about you… now, let's see, which is your wand arm?"

"I'm ambidextrous."

Ollivander frowned.

"…and I favor my left hand?" Nico continued uncertainly.

"Yes, yes…"

A tape measure began flitting around, measuring his arm, nostrils (what was wrong with this tape measure? Why would it measure his nostrils?) and many other parts of his body.

Ollivander reached up with long, spindly fingers, grabbing a few boxes for Nico.

"Try this one… maple and dragon heartstring, thirteen inches, nice and supple…"

Nico held it uncertainly, but Ollivander snatched it back almost immediately.

"No, no, no," he murmured. "This one, yew and unicorn hair, 13 inches, quite bendy…"

Again, he held it and nothing happened.

When they finally found a match, it was yew, thirteen-and-a-half inches long, with empousa hair.

"Strange, very strange…."

Nico was getting very irritated by Ollivander's constant muttering, and so demanded, "What's so strange? And stop muttering!"

Ollivander's pale eyes met his, and he said, "It really is strange… You look so much like him…"

"Like who?"

"Like You-Know-Who. And your wand… it is nearly identical to his. The only difference, really, is the core…"

Nico felt something very strange, a feeling that something wasn't right. Then he paid seven Gallons, or Galleons, or whatever it was called and left the store in a hurry.

"What, did Ollivander scare yeh?" Hagrid asked.

"No," Nico said indignantly.

"Okay."

They left Diagon Alley in silence.

* * *

><p>AN: So, did you like it? Review please! Nico will be sorted in the next chapter. Any ideas or suggestions? Leave a review!

~DarkAngel


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: Wowee, 38 reviews! You guys make me so happy ^v^

In case you didn't know, that was a smiley face… a weird smiley face, yes, but still a smiley face.

So, all credits go to J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan. Because I really don't think they have fanfiction accounts, do you?

* * *

><p>The meeting with the transfer student was… unnerving.<p>

He had looked so much like the young Tom Dumbledore showed him in memories, and the way he didn't care at all who Harry was…

Well, that was probably because he was from America. But still, it was unnerving.

And what startled Harry most was his eyes. They were cold and cruel, and the way he looked at Harry with that little smirk of his, it was as if he was looking into Harry's soul. Not in the friendly way Dumbledore did. More like he was searching Harry for any trace of fear or weakness, like he was plotting how to destroy him. And there was a strange glint in his eye, like death and despair, like…

Voldemort. Everything about the boy reminded him of Voldemort.

Harry shuddered. _Stop it_, he told himself firmly. _You're just rattled after Snape tried to kill Dumbledore, but Dumbledore's still here, and he certainly wouldn't let a Death Eater into the school._

_Ah, but he let Snape in, remember? And Draco, and who's to say this Nico boy won't be the next traitor in the history of Hogwarts?_ A nasty voice hissed in amusement somewhere in his mind, as he prepared to board the Hogwarts Express.

"Harry, are you alright?" A worried voice came from beside him. "You aren't still dwelling on Snape, are you?"

He felt himself sigh in exasperation. "No, Hermione, I'm not _still_ thinking about all that 'Half-Blood Prince' business. It's fine, really…"

They walked to a compartment, helping Harry to settle down across from Luna, hearing Neville searching for his toad in the distance.

"It's amazing, really. How Voldemort's taken over almost all of the British Isles now. I was surprised, really, that Diagon Alley was still safe. And remember all that hassle we had, getting you to the Burrow…" Hermione trailed off, remembering the untimely fate that had greeted Mad-Eye Moody.

"Hey, it's okay," Ron said half-heartedly as he caught sight of the tears welling up in Hermione's eyes. "What would Moody say? Constant vigilance, remember?"

"Yes, constant vigilance…" Hermione gulped before dashing off.

"I should probably go after her," Ron said apologetically, before running off as well.

"Well. It sounds like someone's upset. I'm guessing a friend died?" A boy seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Harry jumped out of his seat and before he knew it, his wand was pointed at the intruder. He dropped it immediately when he saw who it was.

"You?"

"Yes, me," the raven-haired boy before him said amusedly. "Care if I join? The other compartments are all full…"

Harry nodded stiffly.

"I suppose I should say thank you, then?"

Harry stared at him in shock.

"I'll just take your silence as a no."

And that is how Harry ended up stuck with the transfer student for the rest of the ride.

* * *

><p>Nico had been startled to find that you were supposed to run through the column, but he had seen stranger, so he just strolled through with his luggage and was greeted on the other side by a dark-haired boy shoving himself into Nico's face asking him if he had seen a toad. Nico replied that no, he had not seen a toad, and the boy walked off, shoulders slumped.<p>

He quickly boarded the train. Wandering around in attempt to find a compartment, he had seen a rather familiar bushy-haired girl run off in tears.

"Hermio-"

She shoved him aside and continued down the corridor.

"Hey, Hermione, wait up!" The freckly redhead named Ron, Nico remembered, went hurtling after her.

He turned around the corner to the next compartment, to see the boy with two souls sitting across from a blond girl with her nose buried in an upside-down magazine.

"Well. It sounds like someone's upset. I'm guessing a friend died?" He struggled to jeep the amusement out of his voice.

The boy- Harry, he recalled, jumped out of his seat and pointed his wand at Nico. He dropped it almost immediately, saying, "You?"

"Yes, me," Nico couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice this time. He then asked if he could sit down, before asking whether he should thank Harry or not. Which resulted in Harry staring at him in shock. Yes, he decided, he really was enjoying messing with people's minds far too much.

Later, the toad boy came in and joined them, happily exclaiming, "I found Trevor, Harry!" before sitting next to the girl-with-her-nose-buried-in-an-upside-down-magazine. His face turned very red as he did so, saying shyly, "Hi, Luna."

Nico grinned. So the toad boy, Neville, as Harry called him, had a crush on Luna. Oh, he was going to have fun later…

But that would have to wait. Because the train had suddenly jolted to a stop, and the lights blinked out.

* * *

><p>He could feel the intensity mount, hear the heavy breathing of his companions, sense Harry gripping onto his wand as tightly as he could. He heard Neville mutter, "Oh, not <em>again<em>," before a strange feeling rose up within his chest. He felt _happy,_ bizarrely happy, and then there was an eerie rattling like a skeleton laughing, and the screech of nails on a chalkboard, and raspy breaths, deep, raspy breaths…

And as quickly as it came, it was gone.

Harry had shot something silver out of his wand which resembled a stag, Luna quickly followed, and Neville's silver thing spluttered out before he tried again and succeeded. The silver chased away the darkness.

The cold was driven away, and Nico clung briefly to the sliver of happiness he felt before that was torn away too, and the lights flickered on once more.

"What was that?" He asked no one in particular.

"Dementors," Luna sighed. Her voice was dreamy and light as a cloud, relaxing and soft as a feather.

"Didn't think they'd attack the train," Neville said shakily. "They did that a few years back, remember, Harry?"

Harry didn't speak for a while. He was obviously thinking of something painful, as his brow was furrowed and his eyes weren't gleaming the way they usually did.

"Why did they come? Why would they come?"

_For me_, Nico realized. They came _for me_. And he felt a silent bliss sweep across his mind.

No one spoke for the rest of the train ride. Neville made a few feeble attempts at striking up a conversation, but no one spoke.

And Nico was perfectly fine with that.

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the castle, Nico's first thought was that Annabeth would've loved to see it. It was amazing, with majestic arches and hallowed halls, intricate carvings and stone statues lined up perfectly, ornate tapestries depicting the strangest things. Not to mention the paintings that moved and spoke.<p>

What interested Nico the most, however, was the _ghosts_, because his father hated when things escaped death. It caused malfunctions in his perfect, polished system in the Underworld. And a lot of extra paperwork, too.

They didn't seem to notice him just yet. He had been lined up with the first-years, after Hagrid dragged him away from the thestrals. They were beautiful to him, and he had stroked one lovingly as it nuzzled his shoulder gently. "I'll, be back, don't worry," he murmured to one before turning to the castle regretfully. He took his place at the back of the line of giggling eleven year olds, grumbling ruefully about being last.

He was mildly surprised when a hat resting on a stool began to s_ing_, and paid no attention to its song- something about the four houses uniting in dark times, and no one having to stand alone. He scowled at this last part, as he had always stood alone, no matter how many times someone said they would be there for him.

An old witch with a strict expression read names off a scroll, and they came forward, settling on the stool as the hat spoke gently to them, then calling out loudly "GRYFFINDOR!" or "SLYTHERIN!" or "RAVENCLAW!" or "HUFFLEPUFF!" Each was greeted by an huge uproar of applause from whatever table they hurried to.

He paid no attention as he examined the ghosts, playing a guessing game with himself, wondering who was who. Nearly Headless Nick was obvious enough, as was Fat Friar, and the Bloody Baron, and after a while he found it was too easy and gave up on the game.

"We are accepting an American exchange student this year," Dumbledore called out merrily. "Please see to it that he is welcome, and he will be joining the seventh-years." The students stopped chattering and peered at him curiously.

"di Angelo, Nico!" The witch at the front table called, and he heard the ghosts muttering, zipping around uncertainly. They seemed to make some sort of agreement, glancing at him uneasily. As he strode down the aisle, they lined up on either side of him, throwing themselves to the ground as he passed, muttering, "My Lord," and "Long may you live."

He smirked and whispered to them, "Very well done, I shall spare you… for now." He couldn't help adding the last bit, as he watched one ghost breathe a sigh of relief. The said ghost quickly became pale (as pale as a ghost can be) again.

The students muttered cautiously about the ghosts; behavior, and Nico sat down on the stool as the stern witch dressed in green placed the hat carefully upon his head.

"So cunning, and ambitious… Yet so loyal to your friends and to those you hold dear…" the hat whispered.

Nico stiffened.

"And clever as well, wise beyond your years… Courage beyond measure, I see… would do well in any House, really… Where to put you… Slytherin, you'd certainly flourish there, I believe…"

"You are not going to judge me on my father, hat," he said, venom in his voice. He had heard how Slytherin was 'evil' and 'dark'.

The students were all leaning in, and the hall was completely silent. No one wanted to miss out on the sorting of the exchange student.

"Very well… I shall have to dig deeper into your memories, perhaps…"

Nico panicked. _No_, he thought fiercely, _you won't_! He concentrated all his will power on blacking out his mind, so the hat couldn't see anything.

"Yes…" the hat spoke with amusement. "If you block me out, I'll have to send you to Slytherin…"

Nico grit his teeth. Then his eyes widened with something dangerous. _Let's see how long you stay amused, hat,_ he thought gleefully. _You wanted to see my memories? I'll let you see them, then…_

And the hat SAW. The hat saw the pain, the blood, the torture, the death, the blood, the death, death, death…

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The sorting hat's shriek echoed around the hall, so the fake ceiling trembled and the walls shook.

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The hat's eyes, or rather, eye holes, were mad with terror.

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! BLOOD! DEATH! WAR! DARKNESS! PAIN! SO MUCH PAIN! BLOOD! DEATH! DEATH! SO MUCH DEATH!"

Somehow, in the midst of its shrieking, the raggedy old hat managed to shout out Gryffindor, before another witch grabbed it off of Nico's head and carried it to the hospital wing.

"Now." Nico said, and everyone heard the cold, cruel joy in his voice, "Where's the Gryffindor table?" The stern witch directed him to a table under a gold and red banner with a lion on it, visibly shaking all the while.

There was no cheering for the sorting of Nico di Angelo.

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><p>AN: Yep, team Nico-should-be-in-Gryffindor won. Wow. Over 2,000 words in this chapter- it's the longest one yet, I think. Anyways, same as always, ideas or suggestions please PM me or leave a review. Give me reviews please! AHAHAHA I EAT TOO MUCH CHOCOATE BWUAHAHAHA!

Oh yeah. I didn't have anything to do this weekend, so I uploaded this chapter early :)

~DarkAngel


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: 51 reviews total! Wowee, you guys make me so happy, I can't stop smiling! So anyways, most of your ideas WILL be used in the story, and one point or another. So any suggestions, leave a review!

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><p>He sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table and immediately, those near him inched away. Whispers and murmurs were exchanged, all concerning him.<p>

He didn't care much.

It was always like that every time he visited camp; he had long since gotten used to it. For now, he reached for some roast chicken, burning some as an offering to the gods with the hellfire he conjured. Hopefully, Zeus would accept that.

He waited a moment.

Nope, no thunder or lightning, and the ceiling wasn't coming down either. Zeus, evidently, was pleased enough.

Then he bit into his mashed potatoes and an electric tingle ran up his tongue, numbing it for a few moments.

Never mind what he said about Zeus being pleased.

* * *

><p>The first night, he was plagued by nightmares. That was no problem; he usually had them.<p>

But these were _different_.

There was a pale boy who looked much like Nico, so much like him that they could've been brothers. The boy smiles eerily and speaks.

"You would be an excellent warrior... You have much power, you could join us…"

The words roll off his tongue with ease.

"You would rise among our ranks… You would be a most valuable asset…"

Nico frowns- he does not like where this is going. "No," he says clearly, and his voice is strong, commanding. "I will NOT be _used_."

The pale boy hisses.

"You cannot deny who you are… _what _you are… Join us, we could make you powerful beyond your wildest dreams…"

"No," Nico tries to say, but he can't speak.

The boy shrieks with raucous laughter.

"You _WILL_ join us! You cannot hide from yourself! You are darkness, the very embodiment of death! You cannot run from your destiny!"

"No!" Nico shouts. "I won't be responsible for the loss of another life! I won't help you! I _won't_!"

"Oh, but it's too late for you!" The boy sneers. "You can't run, can't hide… _YOU SHALL JOIN ME_!"

Then the boy changes… he grows taller, slimmer, his skin becomes almost green, and his eyes are reduced to thin blood-red _things_, and his nose turns to two reptilian slits and he resembles a snake…

"Tom…" Nico whispers. Then he starts shouting once more, shaking visibly.

"I won't! I won't join you! I won't!"

"You would be regarded as one of us here! What have the foolish humans ever done for you, other than scorn you and betray you? Join us!"

Voldemort is has glee in his eyes now.

"Oh, but they are talking about you even now! Such treacherous words they speak… Why mix with them, those common fools, when you would be so welcomed _here_?"

"No! No, no, NO!"

More laughing. More shrieking. Whispers of betrayal and conniving words and lies, and lies, and lies…

Then there's a blinding red light, and searing pain that is far worse than a thousand white-hot knives piecing his skin, and Nico wakes up in cold sweat.

* * *

><p>The next day, he just manages to drag himself out of bed, rubbing his eyes and throwing on his robes. He stalks off to the Great Hall for breakfast, glaring intensely at all who dare to cross his path. With dark shadows under his eyes, Nico looks more menacing than ever. A group of giggling first-year girls turn tail as soon as they see him. He shoves a slice of toast into his mouth, before summoning more black fire and burning a piece of bacon.<p>

"Hello."

Nico turns to see a brown-haired girl sitting down next to him.

"You look tired."

"Nice of you to notice."

"That was sarcasm, wasn't it?"

"Yes. Yes, it was."

She cleared her throat. "Why were you burning your food?"

"I'm religious. I have to burn it as an offering to the gods." Nico rolls his eyes.

"Oh. I'm not religious, so it's a bit hard for me to understand why people would burn food. Sorry." She smiles apologetically, while shuffling something within her hands.

"What are those?"

She doesn't seem at all bothered by his rude comment.

"Oh, these are pokemon trading cards… it's a hobby of mine, I've always enjoyed it. I'm Muggleborn, you see," she says loftily. She reminds him of when he was younger, with his Mythomagic and whatnot. Then she smiles, and her green eyes twinkle. "By the way, my name's Carlotta. Nice to meet you."

He's silent for a moment, before saying softly, "Nice to meet you, too."

And so, Nico makes his first friend at Hogwarts.

* * *

><p>Carlotta, he learns, is in sixth-year, so unfortunately, he doesn't have any classes with her.<p>

Which leads to hours and hours of boredom.

He aces the classes easily, of course, as the result of yet another gift from Hecate, and he almost feels as if she's making this too easy. Transfiguration was simple, Charms was even more so. History of Magic was slightly interesting, as they learned about the creation of the Unforgivable Curses, but Nico felt that Professor Binns was merely trying to please him. It was like Hecate was just toying with him, the classes are so boring. But the thought vanishes in Potions class.

Because suddenly, things get much more interesting.

"Ah, the transfer student," Professor Slughorn (Nico resists the urge to laugh; what type of name is _that_?) booms. "We'll see how good you are, hmm?"

Then the fat old man orders them to make a highly complex healing potion, for Madame Pomfrey. Nico wonders whether he should mess up on purpose, just to irritate her.

He decided against it.

He dices his gormroot carefully, scooping it up and plopping the pieces into his cauldron, where the brew turns pitch-black. Flipping through the pages of his textbook, he stirs it carefully seven times clockwise, before realizing he was supposed to stir it counter-clockwise.

Surprisingly, however, the potion turns a deep shade of maroon, which isn't supposed to happen until the potion is complete. _Aha_, Nico thinks. _So stirring the healing potion clockwise will make it be done faster._

Nonetheless, he raises his hand and speaking truthfully, says, "I'm sorry, Professor, sir, but I seem to have stirred the potion the wrong way, but the color is deep maroon already- could you please help me?"

Slughorn sighs and lumbers over to his cauldron, examining the potion closely. In a few moments he throws his hands in the air in delight, saying, "My dear boy, I believe your potion is perfect! And done so early, too? Marvellous!"

After that, Slughorn bombarded him with constant praise. Secretly, Nico believed that Hestia, as goddess of the home and hearth, had helped out with keeping his other potions just as "Marvellous," as Slughorn put it. On his way out, Slughorn shook his hand warmly and invited him to attend a party Friday night.

"I'm sorry, Professor", he said, looking very apologetic. "I need to complete my essay on Transfiguration of Human Beings and also I have essays on many other subjects as well, I would like to do some studying and finish writing my homework. Perhaps another time?"

"Why of course, my dear boy!" Slughorn sounded falsely cheery, and he couldn't keep the disappointment out of his expression.

"But," Nico said quickly, "I'm sure I could finish my homeowrk later, if you would like-"

"Oh, no, no, no, that won't do at all," Slughorn interrupted hastily. "School first, I always say…" He chuckled nervously. "Some other time, perhaps?"

"Yes, Professor, sir."

"Oh, and I was wondering about your parentage…"

"My father is a half-blood, sir, I believe everyone knows him, and my mother is dead- pure-blood, too, if that's what you're wondering." He blurts out the words without thinking.

And then-"Oh, I'll be late for lunch, see you soon, Professor!" he says hastily, running off to the Gryffindor Common Room.

And Nico walked off, silently laughing, to the Great Hall for lunch.

* * *

><p>He has herbology later, and fails at it miserably. It seems that even though he and Persephone grew closer after the war, she still enjoys tormenting him.<p>

Professor Sprout had tried to wrestle a Tentacula plant off of him, as it leapt into the air and latched itself onto him, refusing to let go. It wouldn't stop strangling him until he yelled at it in Ancient Greek- " Kateveite mou, eseis ilithious fyto!". Which meant Get off me, you stupid plant, and he really did not expect that to work. But, it did, and Professor Sprout was unfortunately flung to the far side of greenhouse eleven, and had to be carried by a girl named Hannah Abbot and another boy named Ernie (Nico gags) to the Hospital Wing.

"Wow," Neville (who else would have that type of nasally voice? Nico wanted to know) says from behind him. "D'you think she'll be alright? I hope she is…"

"Sure, she'll be fine." Nico replies, never taking his eyes off of Harry, who he just spotted chatting with Ron and Hermione, while the first made wild gestures in his direction.

"I'm telling you," Nico overhears Ron saying aggravatedly, "He's got to be! I mean, you heard him talk to Slughorn! You-Know-Who - everyone knows him, and he's a half-blood, you told us that, Harry-" Ron seems to search for the right thing to say, throwing his hands in the air frantically- "and that's probably why the ghosts are so scared of him, and-"

"I've heard _enough_, Ron!" Hermione hisses at him. "Just because the ghosts respect him and he's excellent at magic and is very studious doesn't mean he's going to be the next Tom Riddle! _I_ personally think he's an excellent student, nothing strange about that!"

"Oh, look," Ron says irritatedly. "Now Hermione's on his side because he's so studious and smart and spends all his extra time reading in the library, and has neat handwriting just like _her_."

Nico recalls that he developed an affinity for reading, as Hecate would most likely remove her magic when his quest was over and his dyslexia would come back. He had decided to enjoy being able to read while it lasted.

"Guys…" Harry tries to break the two apart. He has an aggravated expression on his face, like he's seen this before. Nico raises an eyebrow in interest.

"Come on, Ron, the idea is far-fetched, just let it go…" Harry sounds rather… strangled.

"And you too, Hermione, this isn't worth getting into a fight over…"

"No! Harry, I've had enough of him and his suspicions! He sees Death Eaters everywhere, and now he's accusing the exchange student -who already has it rough, by the way-"

"Has it rough? Has it ROUGH? Harry's lost both his parents, and you say Nico has it rough?"

"Yes! If you haven't noticed, he doesn't exactly have many friends!"

"Well, if you're so sure he's Voldemort's son, why don't you talk to him and figure it out?"

"Well, Hermione, if you're so sure he's completely innocent, why don't you go prove he's _not_?"

"Fine then! I will!" Then Hermione stormed off, before reappearing next to Nico.

"Hello."

"Oh, hello."

"So… how's school?"

"It's okay, nothing bad has happened or anything."

"Ermm…" Hermione shifted uncomfortably. "What about those ghosts?"

"Ahh… It's because of my father. I don't like to talk about him."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Your father?"

"Yes. Can we please drop the subject?" Hermione heard the strain in his voice.

"Oh… do you two… not get along?"  
>"No. He always favored my sister. She was supposed to take care of me, but she threw me away like garbage and went off on her own on the first chance she got."<p>

Hermione's eyes grew even larger. No one noticed, of course, as everyone else was also using this time to chatter before Professor Sprout got back.

"What happened?..."

"She got herself killed by a giant." He chuckled, but there was no humor in his voice.

"And then," he continued, "I had to go back to my father. But I could tell he didn't want me around. So I took the hint. I left. Bet he regrets it now," He laughs drily again. "Now that I'm so much more powerful. Now that I don't need his approval, that he doesn't have me at his beck and call."

"I'm sorry…" Hermione bows her head, and he thinks he might be able to catch a glimpse of tears in her eyes.

"Not your fault, is it? No? Then don't be sorry."

"Alright." She takes a deep, shaky breath, before asking hesistantly whether or not he would like to study with her. He replies yes, almost grateful to have another friend.

Then,the next day, his life gets a lot worse.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm sorry… I had seven quizzes and four oral presentations this week alone, so school stuff did NOT give me much time to write this. If it's sloppy or if I'm moving it along too fast, I apologize. Right. So, there's a new poll in my profile, you can vote on Nico's love life at Hogwarts. Any Ideas or suggestions, PM me or leave a review. Critique is welcome! Compliments are more welcome! Flames are not so welcome! But if you flame, I shall roast digital marshmallows. Oh, right, Carlotta is based off of my friend, whose name is very similar to Carlotta. My friend has green eyes and brown hair, and is obsessed with pokemon.

~DarkAngel


	6. Chapter 5

A/N : 61 reviews! You guys really make my day! Seriously! Right, so, if you want me to make an OC for Nico's love interest, you'll have to PM me or leave a review concerning what she'll be like.

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><p>The reason Nico's life suddenly took a turn for the worse was because the next day he had Defense Against the Dark Arts.<p>

Oh, and don't forget, Voldemort came back and terrorized him again in his dreams. He didn't fear Voldemort. The reason the word terrorized was used was because, Nico hated to admit it, but he was tempted. Sorely tempted by his offer of power and a new reign of fear. Nico's resolve was slipping, and Voldemort knew it.

And Nico did not like that at all.

In Charms, he was so distracted he charmed Professor Flitwick's hat to start speaking. Instead of detention, the squat man actually congratulated him on his magic ability, but asked him to watch his aim. Hermione was rather impressed he managed to charm the hat without need of concentration, but Ron taunted him endlessly about it.

"Hey, don't transfigure McGonagall's hat, alright? I'd hate to see Gryffindor lose points because of you." The gangly redhead sneered at Nico in Transfiguration. Nico turned away indignantly, and turned his porcupine into a cactus as he was instructed. He "accidentally" bumped Ron into Harry's cactus, which had, as the result of a failed spell, grown… erm… how shall I say this? Too many needles.

Which, of course, led to Ron being sent up to the Hospital Wing. And Nico got off scot-free, apologizing profusely for being so clumsy. McGonagall assured him it was quite alright, cast an approving glance at his cactus, then ushered Ron, still howling in pain, out the door. He caught Harry glowering at him, though, and wondered how he was supposed to help Harry if he evidently held such dislike for him.

In Potions, he slipped a (stolen) piece of cornbread (Hestia's favorite food, he learned,) into the fire and whispered a quick prayer. Sure enough, his transparency potion turned out just fine. Which led to Slughorn offering him another invitation, this time to a party Saturday night.

"Hardworking young man like you, you must have finished your homework by Saturday night, eh?" Slughorn boomed.

"Yes, Professor," Nico said quietly. He had no desire to be at a Slug Club party, as he learned they were called. Apparently, Slughorn like to invite vampires, who could potentially reveal his identity.

"Erm, Porfessor, sir, there won't be any vampires there, will there?" He asked anxiously.

Slughorn roared with laughter. "Oh, heavens no! Last time I invited Erik, he got a bit out of control. No one was hurt, of course, but I am certainly not inviting him again!" he chortled. "Oh ho! And you just ignore any other things you hear about my parties, hmm?" The fat professor added.

With a quick "yes, sir", Nico left for his next class- quite unfortunately, Defense Against the Dark Arts.

How am I supposed to do Defense Against the Dark Arts! He thought frantically. I _am_ the dark arts! I'm the son of Hades, what do I do what do I do what do I d-

His thinking was cut off by Hermione running up to him and congratulating him on his potion.

"You did quite well, for a new student," she observed.

"Oh, it's nothing, my Aunt Hestia was really good at household work…"

"Hestia Jones was your aunt? I had the impression she was more adventurous, and wouldn't be quite so good at household work-"

"You must be thinking of a different Hestia, then," was his short reply. Evidently, Hermione saw this as an indicator of a painful subject.

"Oh, is she…dead?" She asked hesistantly.

"…Yes." He lied. He hated this, having to lie nonstop every single day…

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I've gotten used to being orphaned again and again."

They hurried up another flight of moving stairs.

"Oh, look, there's Circe's portrait… They say it offers a shortcut to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, I wonder what the password is…"

"Let's see, then." Nico boldly stepped forward.

"Guinea Pig," he stated, recalling Percy's unfortunate transformation.

Circe's portrait grinned. "Where to?"

"Defense against the Dark Arts."

The portrait swung open, and Nico climbed through, Hermione following closely behind, protesting about "taking risks" and "Being late to class" all the while.

"Well done, young hero…" Circe hissed malevolently. "My darling aunt requests that I not turn you into a pig… We shall see, no?" She cackled as he went by.

"Where are we going? And how do you know the password?" She demaded.

"We're going to Defense Against the Dark Arts, of course. I don't skip classes. Oh, and family experience has led me to a conclusion the password should be Guinea Pig."

"Oh…" She obviously didn't know what he meant, but seemed unwilling to admit it. Or press him for more information.

They stumbled through the end of the corridor, and walked out in front of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom seven minutes early.

"Wow." Nico stated plainly.

"That's nice," Hermione said briskly, tugging out her books. "Oh, look, the new Defense teacher… she looks rather young to be teaching, doesn't she?" Hermione gestured in the Professor's direction.

"Oh gods," Nico cursed.

It seemed as if the new teacher was not someone he was too fond of.

* * *

><p>"Hello, class," the new professor exclaimed, casting a furtive glance at Nico. Nico scowled.<p>

_What is she doing here? I thought that she was just a British half-vampire, and now it turns out she's a witch? AND my DADA professor? I'm doomed…_

"Hello, Professor Morganthe," the class repeated dully. It was rather obvious they didn't care much for the dark-haired Ravenclaw half-vampire that stood before them. They, of course, did not know she was half-vampire, though.

"Today we shall be learning how to detect any trace of dark magic," She said briskly, glancing slyly once more at Nico.

Nico's eyes widened. Surely she, even as she loathed him so, wouldn't do that to him?

He closed his eyes in apprehension. Yes, he decided. She would do that, to get her revenge on him for sending her to Tartarus. She was just that type of person…

He remembered the scene far too well.

* * *

><p><em>A dark-haired boy, only fourteen, perhaps, ran down the streets of London, panting frantically.<em>

"_Almost there," he whispered to himself. "Almost there." There was a wild look in his eyes, like he was an animal being hunted. _

_Desperation filled his throat, choking back his voice._

_Almost there, he chanted rhythmically in his head. Almost there!_

_He turned the corner. Angry shouts and cruel jeers followed closely behind him. _

_Dark figures in hooded robes came after him. He did not know how to deal with their kind… None of his type ever faced these monstrosities before…_

_Werewolves and vampires were not to be harmed by Stygian Iron, or Celestial Bronze. Werewolves and vampires were not meant to meet demigods._

_How was he to defeat them?_

_Shadows, he thought frantically. Shadows…_

_But the shadows did not come to his command, for he had not enough time to focus his will into calling them towards the surface…_

_Doomed. He was doomed._

_But was he?_

"_Quickly! Our prey… he is not far ahead!"_

_A dead end._

_He whirled around, and was met by claws… a wolfman pouncing, no doubt…_

_He felt a blinding pain… he felt a strange energy… _

_For that moment, he had no fear._

_He had nothing to lose._

"_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!" He slashed his sword with a strange ferocity. Bloodlust, perhaps?_

_The dark light emanating from his sword drove them back… all of them…_

_Except one._

_A strangely beautiful creature had joined their hunt. Her aura proclaimed she was only half-beast, which was why she could be injured. She looked to be no more than seventeen years old. Dark waves framed her heart-shaped face, hate illuminated her obsidian eyes._

"_You shall pay, someday," her red lips moved, but issued no sound. Her eyes did the speaking._

_Then she left to burn in Tartarus, desire for revenge seething from her soul._

* * *

><p>He had accidentally sent her, half-vampire Ravenclaw witch, to Tartarus. His father told him, disgruntled, about this (except the Ravenclaw witch part, she had inroduced herself as a former Ravenclaw) and how she could not be kept in Tartarus for long. Hades also told his son that she had been sworn to secrecy upon the River Styx, so no harm done. Nico largely suspected this was for his father's benefit and not his, for if he united the two worlds, Nico would bring shame to the house of Hades.<p>

Nico recalled that she had sworn not to speak of the Olympian realm, but, quite unfortunately, she had not sworn not to harm him. Oh, by Tartarus…

"Revealeum Darke!" She cried, stepping forward.

There was a chorus of gasps as the closet began to tremble, then rattle violently. Shortly afterwards, a shadow flew out, howling with pain, encased by a pearly-white glow.

Nico stared in horror. _She's torturing it… she's torturing a part of… a part of…_

A part of _me_, he realized with a start. Dread slowly filled his mind.

"That," she said softly, "Is the Dark Revealing spell. I have hidden multiple Shadow-Things in this room. Let's see if we can find them all, hmm? If we do, I may teach you the Dark Destroying spell, to banish all traces of Darknesse from the Earth."

She smiled in Nico's direction, baring her fangs, which glinted for a moment before disappearing behind her smooth façade once more.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Does anyone know what a Shadow-Thing is?"

Hermione raised her hand.

"Yes, dear?"

"Shadow-Things," she said, trembling, "Are the very manifestation of Dark Magic, and are created from the shadows. Most are harmless, if you count creating a generally bad mood harmless, but a few rare ones are called Shadow-Beings."

Morganthe nodded. "Go, on, dear," she said softly.

Hermione drew a shaky breath.

"Shadow-Beings are actually just another name for humans who have been cursed or touched by the Darkest magic, and are extremely powerful, emotionless wizards, with the general appearance of someone who is half-dead."

"Very good. 20 points to Gryffindor." The professor cleared her throat.

"You may begin."

There were many cries of "Revealeum Darke!", but many were not pronouncing it correctly, to little or no effect; Hermione had detected one hanging from hanging from the ceiling, and the other students were improving, and they found many as well…

Nico stood motionless amidst the havoc.

"Very well done, class! Now, please return to your seats!" She called, after a while.

There were a few groans as the students trudged back.

"Very good, very good," she murmured. "Now, it appears we still have twenty minutes left- that will be enough time, I think, for me to demonstrate the Dark Destroying Spell."

Mutters of excitement rose amongst the students. She silenced them with a disapproving glance.

All eyes were on the professor. Nico found his mind wild with fear; he imagined that his expression must be like a cornered animal…

"Destroye Darke!" She shouted suddenly, and a brilliantly white glow emerged from the tip of her wand, but then she smirked, and Nico knew what would happen…

The glow stopped and did not consume the Shadow-Being she had on display, rather, it flitted in Nico's direction, rousing many gasps and shrieks among the other students…

He closed his eyes. He would not let Morganthe see the fear in his eyes.

And then…

Nothing. He was nothing more, he felt like he was burning, then freezing, he felt pain while the light seeped through his soul and burned it poisoned it… it was like poison streaming within his veins, slowly killing him from the inside…

He clutched at his heart as the light's reach extended to it, he gasped in pain and he opened his eyes, and they were glowing white…

He heard the same cruel, cold laugh, the cries of "Join us, join us!" and he tried to say no but his throat was burning…

Then he saw a darkness that was not comforting as it usually was to him, and he shuddered once, and closed his eyes.

* * *

><p>"Nico!"<p>

Harry heard Hermione's screech, but he paid it no heed. What fascinated him was why the light decided to leap towards Nico instead of the Shadow laying limply on Professor Morganthe's desk.

He was pondering this over in his mind while the professor asked Hermione to bring Nico up to the Hospital Wing, and suddenly, all the pieces clicked.

Nico di Angelo looked like the young Tom Riddle.

Nico di Angelo was a teacher's pet.

Nico di Angelo was Slughorn's favorite.

Dumbledore seemed to be wary of Nico di Angelo.

Nico di Angelo said he had a half-blood father who was ashamed to be a half-blood.

Nico di Angelo, he thought with a pang, could very well be what Ron had suggested.

Nico di Angelo could very well be…

The Son of Voldemort.

* * *

><p>AN: Not quite as long as I wanted it to be. *Sigh* Oh well…

The reason it's shorter than I would've done is because I have too much freaking homework! (Which would also be the cause of this chapter being so extremely lousy.)

It's really a miracle I got it posted on time!

Well, again, I live for reviews, so leave one, please! Most ideas or suggestions will be included somewhere in the story, so feel free to PM me or leave a review!

Critique is welcome! Compliments are more welcome! Flames are not so welcome, but if you do, I shall roast marshmallows!

Oh yeah, I update Tuesdays so if you check in on each week, there shall most likely be a new chapter. Too much schoolwork, though, and I could get delayed.

~DarkAngel


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Wowee… I was actually expecting flamers for creating a new character out of nowhere, but you guys really cheered me up :)

Now, disclaimer: I don't own. I.D.O. See, it's so weird- the first letters of 'I don't own' spell out 'I do'! So I DO own Nico and Harry! Muahaha!

..Ok, just kidding. On with the story!

* * *

><p>"Oh, I do hope he's alright, he was ever so pleasant, and such a joy to be around," Hermione fretted.<p>

Ron and Harry exchanged glances.

"He was so kind, even with his unfortunate past, and horrible past experiences-"

"Hermione," Ron interrupted, "Have you found anything out about him yet?

She stiffened immediately.

"Oh, is that your business? I should think not."

Her voice came out strangely strangled.

"No,no" interjected Harry. "You were just supposed to be finding about his past, remember? To prove Ron wrong?"

He added the last sentence when she glared at him with such ferocity he shuddered.

"Well, I know enough about him to confirm he is NOT Voldemort's son." She declared indignantly.

"Really? So, who's his dad then?" Ron asked.

"Well… I… actually don't know." Hermione confessed.

"Aha!" Ron hollered. "He's tricked you, hasn't he? Made you think he was all good and stuff-"

"He is not whatever you think he may be! He is a hardworking student who has a natural affinity for fine literature-"

Enlightenment dawned on Ron's face.

"So! You like him because he's all studious like you, is he? The fact he's like you isn't worth defending him over, though, Hermione!"

"Shut up, Ronald Bilius Weasley!" She spat, glowering. "I have not been tricked in any manner! Nico is just-"

"Just what?" Harry was surprised at the words that just emerged from his mouth.

Ron grinned, while Hermione stared at him, aghast.

"He's- he's just-"

"Hermione, you have to admit, Ron's idea does make sense," Harry tried to reason.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.

"I'll have you know," she said in an oddly quiet and controlled voice, "That I am refusing to speak to you from this moment on. Good day."

"Whaa- Hermione!" Ron was clearly shocked by this. In a few moments, the shock changed to anger.

"Slimy git," He said venomously. "Stealing our Hermione like that, I'll show him…"

Harry sighed. "Ron." His friend looked up for a moment, pausing his ranting on how evil and malicious that scheming little(At this point, Ron inserted a few choice words) Nico was momentarily.

"Now is probably not the best time."

They stared after Hermione's retreating back for a while.

"Not much of a loss, though, is it?" Ron noted after a while. "She didn't speak to us at all for a while, always hanging out with _him_."

And, Harry realized, that was completely true.

* * *

><p>When Nico woke up, the first thought that hit him was;<p>

_There's too much white._

Actually, no-the first thought that hit him was _Argheuugh it hurts_. There's too much white was his second thought.

But that would just be weird if he said Argheuugh it hurts, so instead he said in a strangely feeble voice,

"Too much white."

Then he attempted to turn around and bury his face in his pillow so he wouldn't have to look at that gods dang _white_, but he was surprisingly weak at the moment and managed to accidentally fling himself off the bed.

_Crash__._

Oh, joy.

He groaned as he attempted to pull himself up, but slipped in his _white_ pajamas and crashed to the floor again, accidentally pulling down a flower vase on his way down. He winced at the pain near his stomach- he had landed on a shard of glass from who-knows-where (most likely the vase) the second time he fell.

His blood was quickly staining his clothes, and he wished that he just had some ambrosia-

No, Nico, he scolded himself. Wishes are useless.

He trudged toward the rack of potions, fumbling through and trying to find a healing one.

He didn't notice the strange absence of Madame Pomfrey until it was too late.

"Boy," an amused-yet angry- voice hissed. "You do not trifle with _me_."

He whirled around and grit his teeth. "You."

"Yes, and might I add the strangest thing happened while you were asleep? Your father decided to avenge you, and I did not like that at all."

"My father? He did?"

She laughed.

"Oh, not Hades, the old fool. He couldn't care less for you."

Nico tried to ignore his heart falling and smashing against the bottom of his stomach… of course his father didn't care for him, it was foolish for Nico to latch onto hope so easily-

"Such curious things I have heard about you. Recently, I heard the rumor that your father was…"

"Who?" He demanded. He was shaking with anger.

"Why," she tilted her head, "him, of course. The-Man-Whose-Name-Must-Be-Hyphenated. You know him very well, I think… he's been haunting your dreams lately, and causing you so much fear… I am gladdened that he should do that for me. I should like _you_ to have a taste of fear for once…" She spoke scathingly.

"Your one of his people. Those who dare support him, those who dare to taunt my father so with their silly names."

"Death Eater? No, I'm not one of them. I am very well connected, yes, but being only half blood, you see, carries many disadvantages."

Nico scowled. He was so hoping to trip her up, find evidence to get her thrown out before she could pose a great danger to his mission… Scratch that, she was already a big danger to his mission…

"And, unfortunately, The-One-Whose-Name-Must-Be-Hyphenated has not granted me the boon of slaying you. He is convinced that you would join him, that you would cave in eventually, with time."

He stiffened.

"But," she raised her wand, and he was certain she saw the panic in his eyes-

"He has not forbidden me from making your life a living Tartarus."

Red light. Pain, pain, pain…

His screams echoed through the room, and no one was there to hear them.

* * *

><p>When he awoke the next day, he found fresh bandages applied to his wound from the glass shard. He blinked blearily, cursing the white once more before turning and actually gasping out loud from the pain near his stomach. Fortunately, though, the pain receded quickly.<p>

That didn't stop him from cursing the vase.

"Stupid vase… who would bring me flowers, anyhow, no one cares about me-"

He caught sight of a letter, partially soaked from the water in the vase(the glass remains had been cleaned up, thank the gods) lying on the table. He rubbed his eyes, sure that he was seeing things.

Nope. It was still there.

Sighing, he grasped the letter and cautiously peeled the wet card open. He stopped mentally cursing when he saw who it was from.

_Hermione._ He smiled fondly. He hadn't known her very long, but already he felt strongly towards her. It was like she was the sister he never had. That's what he told himself, anyways.

He cursed again, this time at Aphrodite.

Aphrodite didn't like that.

Somehow, a dove found its way through the window, pecking angrily at his head for a few moments before dropping another letter on his lap.

He opened it, bracing himself for a cloud of perfume and pink mist to explode out of it and a shower of rose thorns to rain down on him.

Nothing came, except the faint smell of moonflowers.

He did the sensible thing.

He read the letter.

Nico,

I heard about what happened in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I hope you're alright. Anyways, Char (that's Carlotta's nickname, she has an affinity for fire magic) insisted we all sign this sympathy note, though many of us barely know you. We, I'm sure you're wondering, are Char's friends. Oh, and please get well soon, Char's going ballistic, even though you two aren't particularily close. She's going to get herself killed someday, she's far too naïve and caring.

~Jenns

At the bottom of the letter where the signatures of many people; there was Luna (he recalled the girl on the train) and Dee, (who left a rather vicious note saying that she/he didn't approve of him as he was creepy on the side), and some girl named Ginny, and a boy named Devyn, and another boy named Beck (what was wrong with these parents? he wondered), and a girl named Maddie, and Arika, who requested he call her Captain Falcon (Nico guessed it was a video game character).

And in really big bubble letters that actually flew off the paper and danced around, Char's signature was accompanied by a pokemon card that had 'get well soon' scribbled on the back of it.

He grinned ear to ear at this one, and it wasn't even an evil grin, surprisingly. He took notice of a group of what looked like 6th years waving up at him from the courtyard, and he waved back, recognizing Carlotta's beaming face amongst them. Hey! They mouthed. It's Saturday, why dontcha come hang out if you're well enough?

"Be right down!" He shouted over the wind.

Evidently, they were really good at mouthing and lip-reading, as though the breeze carried away all sound, they got his message, and began to wave and smile even more.

He leapt out of the bed with a renewed energy, ignoring Madame Pomfrey's shouts of displeasure, and shadow traveled quickly to the dormitory he shared with Ron, Harry and the others; he ignored them as they yelled at him for waking them up, pulling his black pants, 'Dead Men Tell No Tales" tee, and some combat boots on, as well as his aviator's jacket. He quickly slipped his silver skull ring onto his slim fingers, then turned to find the door blocked, unfortunately, by Harry-in-his-pajamas.

"Get out of my way."

"How did you get in here? You just walked straight out of the shadows!" Harry sounded furious.

"Is that a bad thing? Walking out of the shadows? It's very convenient, not having to walk."

"That's umbrakinesis," Neville spoke up shakily. A quick glance in his direction confirmed that Neville was trembling violently.

"It's dark magic," Neville continued. "Very dark magic." His eyes were wide and fear shone in them.

"You see?" Ron shouted. "He's a Dark Wizard! Probably descended from the lot of them-"

"Shut up!"

"So what? Going to kill me with your Dark Magic? Huh?" Ron sneered.

"Who is it in your family that's serving You-Know-Who? I bet they all are- I bet they're all evil, just like you!" Harry joined in.

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh, so I don't, huh? Have you forgotten the Sorting? The incident in Defense Against the Dark Arts? There has to be a reason the Dark Destroying spell affected you like that!"

And for a cold, eerie moment, Nico was silent. Then:

"You don't know what you're talking about, Potter. It's true I was born with strange magic, but I'm not evil. You, of all people, should know this, seeing as you carry part of Tom within you. It's not my powers that define who I am, it's what I do with them."

And Harry was silent.

Nico walked past him, and for a split second, their eyes met.

_So you are Voldemort's son_, his eyes said.

_Maybe,_ Nico's replied.

And he was gone.

* * *

><p>To be honest, Nico's eyes- they didn't say maybe. The look in Harry's suggested to Nico that he was accusing him of being evil again. The look Nico gave him back was intended to say,<p>

You can believe what you want to believe.

Unfortunately, Harry took that as a yes, Nico was Voldemort's son.

Not a good thing.

Ron spoke up some time after Nico had left.

"Harry, you're not just going to let him walk away, are you? Oi, Harry, snap out of it…"

Harry didn't hear anything. He just turned and went back to bed.

* * *

><p>Nico joined the others in the courtyard, grinning.<p>

He didn't fool them.

"Something wrong, Nico? Other Gryffindorks give you a hard time?" One dark-haired girl spoke up.

"Hey! Jenns…We are SO not dorks!" A curly haired boy with a mischievous grin retorted.

"Shut up, Beck," she replied coolly. "You really should be used to me and my little sayings by now."

"You know, she's right, Beck," A redhead noted. "You really should be used to her. Even I've gotten used to her constant death threats by now."

"I must agree with Maddie," another redhead ( a dark red, though, not a bright orange) announced. "Your fear of her has gotten quite irritating, for me _and_ my Luigi plushie."

"Yeah," snorted a brunette with glasses. "You mean your video game character dolls."

"Oh, knock it off, Arika, Dee," the dark-haired girl- Jenns- rolled her eyes. "If you start at this again, I really will get my itching powder out."

Apparently, Jenns and her itching powder was something to be feared, as everyone straightened immediately and shut up.

A blond who had been silent for a while cackled. "Oh, very good, Jenns!"

She cast and irritated glance at him. "You shut up too, Devyn. You don't want a replay of the jacket scene, riiiight?"

"Oh, no, ma'am."

"So anyways," she diverted her attention back to him, "Gryffindorks giving you trouble, huh? Don't worry, they're always annoying." She regarded him with something close to sympathy.

"Alright, everyone wants to introduce themselves, so," she waved her hand. "I'm Jennifer Morganthe Willow, Jenns for short, I'm a sixth-year Ravenclaw who was almost put into Slytherin. I'm seventeen, and no, I'm not a Death Eater. Everyone always asks me that, just because I was ALMOST in Slytherin."

She nodded at Arika.

"Arika Loelle Kiliyon," she declared. "Gryffindor, sixth-year, I'll be seventeen in four days, and please call me the Feminine Falcon." She grinned cockily, and a chorus of groans rose from the others.

"Changing your name again, Arika?"

"Oh, so it's the Feminine Falcon, now?"

"Arika…"

"MUAHAHAHA!"

"People!" Jenns clapped her hands once.

They dropped silent.

"Continuing on," she sighed.

"Beck Irole Azardi," the curly-haired boy grinned. His blue eyes twinkled. "Gryffindor, sixth-year, I'm seventeen."

"Maddie-" A glare from Jenns.

"Oh, fine," she sighed. "Madelien Rozii Rals. Gryffindor, sixth-year, seventeen."

"Diilarya- yes, I know it's a weird name, that's why I go by Dee- Hinel Connor, Gryffindor, fifth-year, I'm fifteen."

"Devyn Colke Panne. D' Pain for short, since everyone says I'm a pain in the rear end. Slytherin sixth-year, which is good, I get to annoy Jenns all year long about how she ALMOST got stuck with me and she ought to be grateful. I'm seventeen!"

"And you already know Char. So, Luna and Ginny aren't here, so you can meet them later. They don't know us too well, anyhow. So, we are the outcasts, everyone who's scorned will wind up befriending us at one point or another. No offense to you." Jenns said.

"Uhh.." Nico started.

"D'ya wanna give him the welcome hug?" Arika called out.

"Yeah!" The others- save for Jenns- cheered.

And Nico found himself smothered in a huge group hug, which had dragged a protesting Jenns in.

"And as friendships come and go," Arika.

"Ours will last forever." Maddie.

"Friends always," Carlotta.

"Forever," Beck.

"And never will we part." They spoke in unison.

And looking towards Nico, they silently offered him a place to belong.

So what could he do?

He grinned and stepped forward.

"Friends."

They glared at him, and he swore he could see Jenns sneaking something very pointy out of her back pocket.

"Okay, I get it..."

They continued glaring.

"Fine! Friends forever, okay?" he spat.

"Okay!" Arika exclaimed happily.

Jenns whacked her on the head.

* * *

><p>The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur; there was more laughing then Nico had ever experienced at any given time, and jokes, and crazy antics, and for a while, he could forget his life.<p>

Until evening came, and he remembered with a start as Blaise Zabini walked past that he really should be at Slughorns party.

He cursed again.

"Alright, I have to go to Slughorns party. See you guys later." He stated glumly.

And he walked off towards the castle.

* * *

><p>AN: If you are one of the people I based my OC's on, you know who you are! So:

Like it? Hate it? Review! Criticism is appreciated! Compliments are more appreciated! Flames are not so appreciated, but if you do, I shall roast marshmallows!

Again, school has been insane, so if it's messed up or lousy, I apologize.

I read Son of Neptune, and the ending is TORTURE! Torture, I tell you! So my insane anger at Rick Riordan for his stupid cliffhanger may have put me out of my writing mode, so I apologize if the coming chapters are somewhat lame.

Random fact: I have modes. Calculator mode, I am a human calculator (this was very amusing to certain classmates of mine in Math Class). Writing mode, I am a decent author. Angry-at-Rick-Riordan mode, I cannot concentrate on anything but swearing at him and his stupid cliffhangers in my head.

OMG IT"S THE LONGEST CHAPTER TO DATE :0

Sorry if I confused you ^_^

~DarkAngel


	8. The Meeting

Disclaimer: No, I do NOT own Nico. No, I do NOT own Harry. Yes, I AM tired of repeating this.

Sorry about my one week absence. There was a lot of complicated financial stuff resulting in a ton of yard work…

Which probably makes no sense to you.

Anyways, to all those people who didn't get it, Harry suspects Nico is Voldemort's son, and Nico uses that as an alias, pretending to be Voldemort's son. Nico is still Hades' son though, no worries.

* * *

><p>The party was fairly boring. He was introduced to the other members of the Slug Club; Cormac McLaggen was driving him insane, he was decently surprised that Hermione was there, and Harry was glowering at him the whole time.<p>

"So you ARE Voldemort's son, then?" Harry hissed.

Nico had half a mind to spit back that no, how dare Harry think he was related to that scumbag, when he recalled what Hecate had said.

"If you need to flaunt your powers, at least find a suitable alias."

And hadn't Morganthe said something about him not being Hades son? He had been confused at first, but Harry's comment just now made him realize Morganthe, that evil (Nico inserted a few choice words) witch, had been referring to Voldemort as his father.

Was it really that easy? Did Harry really just provide him with a 'suitable alias', as Hecate had put it?

No, he decided. He shouldn't take the chance, just in case Harry turned him in, or got him kicked out. He doubted Dumbledore would throw him out of the school for saying he was Tom's child, but you never knew.

"Did you already forget what I said earlier today? I don't like my powers, but I'm stuck with them and I'm certainly not using them to hurt anyone!" he hissed back.

Harry glared at him, before walking off.

Nico sighed.

"I'm sorry about Harry's behavior. He thinks your some sort of monster, because he says you have strange powers. Is it true you use umbrakinesis?" Hermione asked.

"Yes."

"Could you show me?" Hermione leaned in a bit, interested.

"No. Everyone would be staring, and frankly, I don't want more people thinking I'm Tom's son. And…" He shuddered. "I can lose control sometimes. It's not very good when that happens."

"Oh." She tries to hide her disappointment, but he can sense it anyways.

"Hrmm. No need to be grouchy."

"I was not- wait, did you read my mind?"

"Yes."

"Is that also a power of yours?"

"Where'd Hermione go? Since when were you so questiony?"

"'Questiony' is not a word, Nico."

"That's better, you're back to yourself. Or are you? According to all your friends, you've been acting different ever since I showed up."

Hermione glanced behind her back nervously. "Maybe. Oh, Cormac's coming, let's go…"

"Who's Cormac?" Nico asked, even though he knew fully well who Mr. Snob was, as they hurried to the other side of the room.

"A snobbish prat," Hermione answered.

"Huh. I'm guessing you two had a pretty messed up dating experience."

She stared at him. He heard her mutter something about mind reading under her breath.

He couldn't help it.

He smiled.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Dumbledore sat across from a raggedy old hat, looking very concerned.<p>

"Please, tell me," he spoke, "What exactly did you see in di Angelo's mind?"

The Hat took a deep, raspy breath.

"Dark magic," the Hat said. "Very dark magic…"

Dumbledore's brow furrowed.

"Please, continue," he said wearily.

"Tom would love to get his hands on this boy…"

"Is that so?"

The hat shuddered violently. "He was creating armies of Inferi, Albus. Armies. And they attacked other people, it was so terrible… And then he was in such a dark, desolate place- horrible winged beasts referred to him as Lord, and they were torturing more people who were crying out for mercy, but he looked on with cold indifference…"

Dumbledore's mind was now clouded with worry. "What…"

"I don't know, Albus," the hat said wearily. "I don't know. Not even Tom could do the things he did…"

The headmaster took a tired breath and cleared away the miscellaneous items on his desk. He summoned a quill and a piece of parchment, and after a moment's hesitation, began to write.

When he was finished, he gestured towards the magnificent bird with fiery red plumage preening himself on his perch to get its attention.

"Fawkes," he called out, "Please carry this message to Minerva. I request a meeting with her student, Mr. Nico di Angelo."

* * *

><p>Nico slipped out of the party, shadows cloaking his frame so that he was practically invisible. He snuck past Hermione (at this he felt a pang of guilt,) and then Horace Slughorn (at this he smirked triumphantly,) and then past Cormac McLaggen (at this he aimed a well-placed kick to Cormac's unmentionables, and bit back a smirk as Cormac tried to ignore the pain so as to continue flirting with some other girl.<p>

It didn't work very well, and Nico felt a rush of pleasure as Cormac made himself look like an idiot. He saw Slughorn cast a shocked glance at Cormac, who immediately excused himself to go to the restroom.

Nico turned his attention back to the task at hand. Jenns had invited him to hang out a bit after the party, if he could make it.

"_Seventh floor corridor," she said. "I'll meet you there."_

"_Won't you get caught?"_

"_Nope. I have an Invisibility Cloak- oh, not the real one," she added upon seeing his expression. "All of us have one, I performed Disillusion Charms on our regular cloaks."_

"_You might not have to wait too long, though. I'll probably sneak out before the party's over."_

_She nodded. "That's what I like to hear."_

He turned the corner and climbed up another flight of moving stairs. He looked around a bit when he reached the seventh floor corridor, and flinched a bit when someone grabbed his hand.

"Come on, we don't want the room to close on us," it hissed.

"Hello, Jenns," he replied.

* * *

><p>"Weinerdog!" Arika sang. "Wieeeeeeeeener wiener wiener WIENERDAWG!"<p>

"Shut up already, Arika!" Jenns snapped crossly from under her covers. She pulled herself up and threw her pillow at the dancing girl from across the room.

"Oof!"

Arika toppled over as the pillow whacked her face. Jenns snickered, before ducking back under the covers. A few seconds later, a shriek was emitted from the bed.

"BECK!" Jenns shouted furiously.

"Might I be of assistance?" Beck popped his head in the room, grinning. The grin was wiped off his face from another pillow Jenns hurled at him, pulled seemingly out of nowhere.

"Beck," she said menacingly, "Do you have anything to say about a few animals you might have let loose?"

He fiddled with his fingers. "Maybe…"

"WELL, MISTER, YOUR STUPID HAMSTER HAD A BUNCH OF BABIES IN MY BED! NOW GET THOSE THINGS OUT! YOU KNOW I CAN'T STAND FURRY LITTLE CUTE ANIMALS!" She emphasized the word 'cute', spitting it out like a curse.

Nico looked on with amusement. At the same time, he wondered why it was he could sense something dark, something wrong, something which belonged to the Underworld in the room…

He was going to ask Jenns if the room had a deathly history or something, but instead, what emerged from his mouth was,

"You sure you can just hang out in this room randomly on a Saturday night and not get in trouble?"

Maddie snorted. "Jenns here is very sneaky, you know. She spent most of her childhood sneaking around her house- which, if I may add, is extremely old and creaky- and she never ever _ever_ got caught. She's the one that found this room, when Filch was trying to get her for being out late- more like because Mrs. Norris likes her better than him, though- and we've been using it as our hangout for a while now. Though there were a few times it wouldn't open for us, and we nearly got caught…" she shrugged, and her ginger hair rippled, catching the light and bending it this way and that. "But as I said, Jenns is really sneaky. Like, in the bad way."

"You didn't think it was bad the time I got you out of that tight spot with Filth, Maddie." Jenns didn't even bother to look up from a book she found on the floor as she called out.

"Filth?" Nico arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's what we call Filch. Or, at least, I call him that." Jenns smiled deviously.

"Hey, where'd Beck's hamsters go?" Arika piped up. "And where'd Back go, too?"

"Somewhere. I jinxed them. I think they ended up in Albania, but maybe Austria. Or Australia. If it was Australia, I hope they got eaten by dingoes." She sniggered. "And Beck's probably mourning his beloved hamsters."

"Jenns, that's mean!" Char exclaimed. Jenns shot her a skeptical look. "Never mind, I take that back, you are mean, I should know that by now…"

"Neeheehee. Lookee, Jenns, there's a situation in the Gryffindorks Common Room. How amusing." Devyn turned from his spot before the crystal ball in the corner of the room, glancing back at Nico. "Someone's looking for you. I'd say it sounds pretty important."

"Someone's looking for him?" Dee, who had been occupied by a comic book till just then, looked up in surprise.

"Yeah. And that someone happens to be Minerva McGonagall, his Head of House. Who is trying to find him because Dumb-As-A-Door requires a meeting with him." Devyn answered.

"Dumb-As-A-Door?"

"Yeah, don't worry too much about it. When you hang around these guys too much, you get used to it." Jenns answered. "We have creepy nicknames for all the teachers. That's what you get when you mix all the different houses. She looked around. "Well, we're a bit short on Hufflepuff outcasts- they're too friendly and stuff. Like bees. They always work together, and therefore there are never Hufflepuff loners." She rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I ramble on and on sometimes. Real awkward."

She turned back to her book.

"Better get going, Nico. McGonagall is getting irritated." Devyn's voice rang out through the silence.

"Okay, then. See you around."

"Yeah. Glad you could get away from Slughorn's party and hang out with us for a bit." Jenns called out.

Was it just his imagination, or did Jenns just blush?

"Now get going! Dumbledore wants to see you, remember? GET GOING, DO YOU HEAR ME?" Jenns again.

"Going now," he said quickly, before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Di Angelo, Dumbledore requests a meeting with you." Minerva McGonagall told him, stern as ever, as soon as he entered the Common Room.<p>

"Yes, ma'am. I'll be going now." He said, in the perfect impersonation of a star pupil.

He left the room and groaned as he climbed down another flight of moving stairs.

"Really!" He muttered. "How many moving stairs do they need?"

* * *

><p>Some flights of moving stairs later, he found himself in front of a ugly stone gargoyle, guarding a door.<p>

"Oh, the Riddle child," it rasped.

"Who told you that?" Nico demanded.

It looked amused, if possible.

"Oh, the rumors have been spreading," it sneered. "You-Know-Who has a son? I asked myself. And when I saw you, I said to myself, 'Oh, but of course, it must be you!' I remember he came in the office to speak to Headmaster Dippet when he was younger... Looks a lot like you, I must say," the gargoyle nodded.

"Who's been spreading the rumors?"

"Mmm… If I have my facts correct, it would be a certain scarred student…"

Nico groaned. "Harry spends a lot of time around here, doesn't he?"

"Mmm, yes."

Nico cursed.

He spotted a ghost nearby, looking very frightened, and stopped cursing. "Hey," he asked politely, "Could you please tell me what the password to the Headmaster's office is?"

"O-of course, s-sire," the ghost spoke shakily. It was female, very pretty. Her eyes held a tint of green, though ghosts shouldn't be colored.

"All right, then, what is it?" he spoke more kindly this time.

"Acid pops, sire," she said, much less shakily.

"Thank you. I'll return the favor someday." The ghost blushed, and left quickly.

"And you're just as much of a charmer as he was," the gargoyle added amusedly.

"Acid pops. Now open up." Was Nicos reply.

"Fine, no need to be grouchy."

The door swung open, and he came face to face with- who else?- Harry Potter.

* * *

><p>Harry was reminded instantly of the assassination attempt made by Draco Malfoy last year.<p>

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, whipping his wand out. Sparks were already flying off the tip- a sign of how hostile Harry was feeling.

"I'm here to see Professor Dumbledore."

"Why?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"It's quite all right, Harry," Dumbledore said from behind them. "He was invited here."

Harry glowered at Nico, stalking past him as he left.

Nico walked up the steps and stood hesitantly in front of the Headmaster.

"Sit," he said. More like commanded.

Nico sat.

"Nico…" Dumbledore hesitated. "I have heard very curious things about you…"

_Oh Tartarus._

"Certain students, who I believe should remain unnamed, seem to believe that you are a Dark Wizard-"

"Certain students should mind their own business," Nico spat. "Especially that rotten Harry Potter- I know he's the 'unnamed student', don't try to tell me he's not! And Ron, too- they've been glaring at me this whole time, and the gargoyle outside the door told me about it-"

"Nico." Dumbledore was calm as ever. Nico raised his eyes, and noticed, for the first time, the bright blue of his eyes. He was reminded uncomfortably of the way Thalia would stare at him sometimes, as if comparing him to his sister. He bristled with anger.

"I am not here to address their thoughts."

Nico was aghast. "What?"

"I am here to address a… _greater_ problem."

"What problem?"

Dumbledore peered at him from above his glasses. "I am assuming you know of the rise of Lord Voldemort."

Nico shrugged. "Yeah, Tom Riddle. I know him." He struggled to keep his face calm, his mind settled.

"You seemed… rather distraught when I mentioned him."

"You're wrong. I am not distraught, disturbed, anything like it."

"It would appear otherwise, but this is not the time to speak of it. The Sorting Hat seemed to find your memories terrifying, quite terrifying."

Nico snorted. "Who wouldn't?"

"Where did all those memories come from?"

Whatever the raven-haired boy expected, it was not that. He struggled for a few moments to think of another lie he could spin, another strand in his web of lies. Thankfully, Dumbledore thought of this as mere hesitation, discomfort on a dark subject, nothing more.

Nico found the lie he was looking for.

"I was a Death Eater."

Now, it was the Headmaster's turn to be startled.

"My father was an… important one, with lots of power."

Oh, what Hades would say if he knew…

Dumbledore gestured for Nico to continue.

Nico closed his eyes. "He never cared for me," he said, voice bitter and filled with resentment. "It was always my sister. She was a wall I could never climb over. And then she went off on some mission of hers… Got herself killed fighting a giant. I continued to live on in her shadow. Then I left. Because no matter what I seemed to do, my father was never pleased as he would be if it was Bianca, wonderful Bianca." He stopped for a moment, hesitating before going on.

"I tried to leave my old life behind. It didn't work. I was hated and feared, everywhere I went. So, when I found this place, I was glad to be able to call it home. But then Harry caught on. I'll be out of here soon, too. You wouldn't want me to stay."

Dumbledore finally spoke. "Do you have the Dark Mark?"

And of course, Nico had a prepared answer.

"No." His voice rang out against the silence. "My father thought I was too… weak. Pathetic. Bet he regrets it now, since I'm so much stronger." He smiled drily. "I ran away before I was marked, thank the gods. I don't think I could face him without breaking down."

"An interesting tale. Forgive me for my rudeness, but who was your father?"

"You know him. Everyone does. Stuck-up half-blood who wishes he were pure."

Now Nico was openly using the idea Harry had given him. Nico would pretend he was Voldemort's son. Perfect.

"Please, give me a straight answer."

"You won't kick me out? You won't scorn me as all the others did?"

Dumbledore didn't ask who the others were. "No. I assure you, you shall not receive any discrimination on the grounds of you heritage."

Nico fiddled with a small rock which he had pulled from his pocket. "Tom. Tom Marvolo Riddle."

The hat's words rang in the headmaster's head.

"_Tom would love to get his hands on this boy…"_

_It would appear so. _The old man thought._  
><em>

"It appears you have inherited his charms and looks, as well as his intelligence. I do not, however, believe you inherited his cruelty, though your memories say otherwise."

Nico flinched.

Dumbledore continued. "I should like to see how well you can handle your powers, so I may teach you to control them."

"Are you saying…"

"That I would like to tutor you, yes. I believe you are available every Saturday night."

A wry smile from Nico. "When's the first lesson?"

"Why, I should like to start it now."

And for a moment, Dumbledore thought he could see a spark of hope in the young man's jet black eyes.

* * *

><p>AN: Finally got it written…

Apologize if it's sloppy. You have quite a few lousy chapters coming your way, school's getting worse and worse...

Sorry! For everything I did wrong, SORRY! :(

~DarkAngelOfTruth


	9. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTICE!

**SUPER IMPORTANT!**

I have hit a major writer's block :(

When I will be updating again, I have no idea. So, this story is ON HIATUS.

I am really really really sorry :(

If you want to adopt this story, just PM me.


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